Did you know? It’s said that on a 1911 visit to the Arroyo Seco, President Theodore Roosevelt said of the area, “this Arroyo would make one of the greatest parks in the world.” Read more.
Did you know? The Science Center was formerly the State Exposition Building, which featured agricultural displays. In 1951, it was remodeled to show the role of technology and science in everyday life Read more.
Did you know? Formerly called the Looff Amusement Pier, famed carousel builder Charles I.D. Looff built the pier's first attractions in 1916, including the historic Hippodrome housing the Carousel. Read more.
Did you know? Lacy Park was once a lake – the lake for which Lake Ave. was named. Used by early residents for irrigation, it had mostly dried up by 1924 and was filled and turned into a park. Read more.
Did you know? The Library collections include a Gutenberg Bible, letters and documents by George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and a first edition of William Shakespeare’s plays published in 1623. Read more.
Did you know? Popular in the Victorian Era, the working Camera Obscura at Palisades Park is one of only a handful remaining in the world. Read more.
Did you know? Since 1906, more than 1 million bones (from 231 species of vertebrates) have been recovered from the tar pits. The most commonly found large mammals are Dire wolves and saber-toothed cat Read more.
Did you know? Carousels evolved from a medieval French tournament event, in which horsemen would attempt to spear a small hanging ring, while riding a horse or chariot at full-speed. Read more.
Did you know? In 1882, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith purchased Griffith Park for use as an ostrich farm. He later gave the city 3000 acres, after supposedly seeing the ghost of the land’s first owner. Read more.
Did you know? The largest art museum in the western U.S., LACMA’s collections cover virtually the entire history of art, worldwide - from European and American, to Asian, Latin American, and Islamic Read more.
Did you know? 3000 years ago, the site of the Arboretum was known as Aleupkigna, "the place of many waters." After the arrival of Europeans, the area's earliest inhabitants became known as Gabrielenos Read more.
Did you know? Since 1935, more than 7 million people have looked through the Observatory's original 12-inch Zeiss refracting telescope – more than have looked through any other telescope in the world. Read more.
Did you know? Opened in 1966, this was actually LA’s fourth zoo. Its first, Eastlake Zoo, opened in 1885 in East Los Angeles Park. Griffith Park Zoo opened in 1912, a few miles from the current zoo Read more.
Did you know? Before MOCA moved in, and architect Frank Gehry renovated, the Geffen Contemporary space was home to a hardware store and later, a city warehouse and police car garage. Read more.
Did you know? Before MOCA was founded in 1979, Los Angeles was the only major city in the United States without a significant museum devoted exclusively to contemporary art. Read more.
Did you know? Kidspace first opened at Caltech in 1979; seeking to increase area children's access to the arts, sciences, and humanities. The first exhibit featured robotics and neon light displays. Read more.
Did you know? The gardens are home to the largest camellia collection in North America, with more than 34,000 plants. They were first planted by E. Manchester Boddy, who built his estate here in 1937. Read more.